Packaging method



Nov. 17,1970 G. H. ASHTON PACKAGING METHOD Original Filed Aug. 28, 19673,540,184 PACKAGING METHOD George H. Ashton, St. Louis, Mo., assignor toBernis Company, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn, a corporation of MissouriOriginal application Aug. 28, 1967, er. No. 663,574, new Patent No.3,461,648. Divided and this application 'Apr. 28, 1969, Ser. No. 833,238

Int. Cl. B65d 33/28; B65e 7/00 US. Cl. 53I4 1 (Claim ABSTRACT OF THEDICLOURE CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This is a division ofapplication Ser. No. 663,574, filed Aug. 28, 1967, now US. Pat. No.3,461,648.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There has been increasing use of theseat-scalable plastic tubular netting sold under the trade name Vexar byE. I. du Pont de Nernours Company, Inc., of Wilmington, Del., forpackaging produce, e.g., grapes sold in supermarkets, and with this hasarisen a need for packaging equipment to facilitate the operation ofpackaging the produce in the supermarket. Generally, such packagingoperations have been carried out using preformed Vexar bags, but thishas involved tedious and time-consuming operations. Also, one of theproblems involved in such packaging has been that of providing a tag onthe package for marking the weight and/ or price of the package.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, among the several objects of theinvention may be noted the provision of a method for use in supermarketsfor facilitating packaging produce in tubular Vexar netting, and which,of course may have other uses; the provision of such a method whichutilizes continuous lengths of tubular Vexar netting, as distinguishedfrom using preformed bags; the provision of a method for formingpackages of various sizes; and the provision of a method for providing amarking tag on each package as it is formed.

This invention involves a method of packing items in heat-scalableplastic tubular netting and providing tags on the packages. The methodcomprises inserting an item to be packaged into the netting previouslyclosed at one end, bunching the netting above the item to define apackage, spirally wrapping a length of heat-scalable tape around thebunched portion of the netting with end portions of the tape extendingaway from the bunched portion of the netting, and heat-sealing andsegmenting the tape and the bunched portion of the netting to form a topseal for the package with one end portion of the tape forming a tagsecured thereto, and to form a seal for the end of the netting with theother end portion of the tape forming a tag secured thereto.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic sectionillustrating packaging of items according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view illustrating the bunched United StatesPatent 3,543,184. Patented Nov. 17, 1970 lee.

A method of the invention for packaging items utilizes Vexar or otherheat-scalable plastic tubular netting which is designated 1 in FIGS.1-3. The netting is supplied on tubes 3. A supply of the netting isrucked or gathered on the exterior of the tube as shown in FIG. 1.

Produce is packaged according to the method of the invention bypositioning the tube 3 containing rucked netting material above a table89 and feeding rucked netting over the upper end of the tube and thendown through the interior of the tube and through an opening 17. Theheight of the tube 3 relative to the table 8-9 is vertically adjustedaccording to the height of a package to be formed. The lower end portionof the netting extending down through the tube is then bunched andsealed together. This may be accomplished by bunching the end portion ofthe netting, and passing a heated blade 101 through the bunched endportion of the tubing thereby to sever the netting and simultaneouslyseal the netting at both sides of the blade. This forms the lower seal112 of the first package.

When the lower end of the netting on the tube has been scaled, thenproduce (e.g., grapes) to be packaged is fed down through tube 3 and thenetting is pulled downwardly until the lower end of the netting rests ontable 89. This brings the produce down beneath the plane of the heatedblade 101 as shown in FIG. 1. Next the portion of the netting at thelevel of the heated blade is bunched as shown in dotted lines in FIG.1., the bunched netting being designated 113. The bunched portion of thenetting is then provided with a price tag by spirally wrapping aroundthe bunched netting 113 a strip of tape 117 (FIG. 2) of heat-scalableplastic material, such as polyethylene, with end portions 117a and 117 bof the tape extending upwardly and downwardly, respectively, so thatthey extend away from the bunched portion of the netting. Tape 117 andbunched portion of the netting are severed and sealed by the hot cuttingknife 101 and the tape as it is severed and sealed simultaneously formstwo marking tags. One of the tags is designated 1170 in FIG. 3 and it isattached to the upper end of the filled package at seal 119. The endportion 117a of the tape is attached at seal 112 to the portion of thenetting above the clamp and comprises a price tag for the next package.Since two tags are formed at the same time, the tape 117 is providedonly during alternate sealing operations.

The resulting package P is illustrated in FIG. 3 and comprises a lengthof the netting 1 which contains the packaged item, the netting beingclosed at the upper end by the seal 119 and closed at the lower end bythe seal 112. The tag 1170 is shown at the top of the package but itwill be understood that for the next package the tag is at the lower endthereof.

The method of the invention is simple, and easily performed by oneperson, making it economical for use in supermarkets and other retailstores. The provision of a permanently attached tag is very desirableand the method is readily adapted to packaging items of various sizes inpackages of various lengths simply by adjusting the vertical position ofthe tube 3 and the blade 101 relative to the table 89.

In view of the above, it will be sen that the several objects of theinvention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As various changes could be made in the above methods Without departingfrom the scope of the invention, it is intended that all mattercontained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawingsshall be in terpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A method of packaging items in heat-sealable plastic tubular nettingand providing tags on the packages comprising:

inserting an item .to be packaged into the netting previously closed atone end, bunching the netting above the item to define a package,spirally Wrapping a length of heat-scalable tape around the bunchedportion of the netting With end portions of the tape extending away fromthe bunched portion of the netting, and heat-sealing and segmenting thetape and the bunched portion of the netting to form a top seal for thepackage with one end portion of the tape forming a tag secured thereto,and to form a seal for the end of the netting with the other end portionof the tape forming a tag secured thereto.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS THERON E. CONDON, PrimaryExaminer 15 N. ABRAMS, Assistant Examiner US. Cl X.R.

